A COUCH potato culture and poor diet is proving a dangerous combination for today's children.

Alarming statistics show as many as one in four children in Merseyside is either obese or overweight.

Obesity is now being labelled as a pandemic, and the government is taking it so seriously a health select committee has been launched to look into the problem. Experts say our children are eating themselves sick. They are devouring too many snacks and have a diet laden with convenience food.

Combine that with a decline in physical activity and what you have is a lethal combination.

More children than ever are expected to develop type II diabetes and other conditions brought on by over-eating and a sedentary lifestyle.

Some fear the NHS will collapse under the strain in 10 years without swift action.

The trouble is that modern life has changed.

Parents bogged down by the daily grind are finding it hard to resist the temptation of ready meals and fast-cook options at meal times.

Children, many of whom now have their own television sets, are absorbing adverts about fatty but fun food snacks and battling with hard-pressed parents to make sure they get them.

The health committee accuses manufacturers of marketing products specifically aimed at capturing on-the minds of children. It wants junk food banned from children's TV and criticises the industry for using icons such as David Beckham and Gary Lineker to promote fattening products to vulnerable children.

In November advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers-BBDO was forced to apologise after breaching the industry's own guidelines by encouraging children to pester their parents into buying Wotsits crisps.

The chief executive of the agency, Cilla Snowball, later apologised.

But the manufacturers say they are not to blame.

They say they do not tailor-make their ads for children - even though the industry reports that less than #2m is spent on -advertising to encourage children to eat and drink healthy products compared with #600mon commercial food.

This comes at a time when The British Medical Association warns children now will not live as long as their parents - the first reduction in lifespan in more than a century.

Dr Jason Halford, a psychologist from Liverpool University, recently led a study into obesity and adverts.

The results confirmed what was already suspected, children who were shown food adverts ate more food.

It also showed those children who were shown an ad for a particular product were then more likely to favour that brand when given a choice.

Dr Halford said: "Manufacturers who advertise to children are bound by a code of ethics not to engender pester power.

"Advertisers will say - like cigarette companies - that they're not trying to get them to eat more they're just trying to change their brand.

"But, to be honest, I don't think banning ads would make much difference, it's the whole environment.

"The fact that children don't walk to school, the lack of exercise or sports clubs after school, just basically sedentary activity in children.

"We are now seeing children with diabetes, a condition associated with the over-weight over-50s.

"It's a timebomb. Where obesity is now, diabetes will follow."

Dr Halford suggests manufacturers should act now to promote healthy brands rather than junk.

He added: "Obesity shortens life by nine years. Think, if you can market a product that increases life by nine years there's a lot of incentive there to buy it.

"If we compare the past with the present. We used to have to do a lot of work to get food. Now we don't have to work and we're surrounded by a lot of food and it's two minutes from the fridge to the microwave.

"Banning food manufacturers from advertising may slow the rise down but it's not the solution.

"A complete change of lifestyle is needed."

Nutitionis t Alan Hackett, an expert on obesity from Liverpool John Moores University, believes legislation is the only way to tackle the problem.

"Obesity has a combination of factors, cvenience food, stary lifestyle and lack of physical exercise. Put together it has a toxic effect.

"Cadbury's sponsored vouchers for sports equipment, it's now been withdrawn, but it's an example of government departments not talking to each other.

"It will take legislation to stop the tobacco industry from sponsoring events, I think it will take the same for the soft drinks industry.

"You can question what sort of society would we live in then. But when there are ruthless people prepared to exploit the vulnerable there isn't much choice."

In Liverpool 5% of children are obese and 20% are overweight.

Around a quarter of all year five and year seven pupils have a weight problem.

Mr Hackett said the figure was comparable to figures for other areas of Merseyside.

He added: "Obesity isn't about being a bit chubby, it's about physical health. Heart disease has fallen over the the last 20 years, that's going to go up again.

"But it's not just heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease as well.

"The department of health and the World Health Organisation is now talking of an epidemic and it real ly isn't an exaggeration.

"If something isn't done about it in this country the NHS will collapse in 10 years time simply because of problems resulting from obesity."

Hampered by the hard-sell>

MOST people think it is down to parents to improve children's diets but believe there is undue pressure from the food industry and advertisers, according to a survey published today.

Many argue that parents' efforts to control what their children eat were hampered by marketing aimed at youngsters, particularly big budget campaigns using celebrities.

The results come amid heightened concern about the role of food and drink companies in the growing problem of weight gain and obesity in the UK.

The Food Standards Agency, which commissioned the research, is carrying out work to determine how much food and drink promotion to children influences what they consume.

As part of the process, it is holding a public debate in central London tonight.

The poll, carried out among 2,000 adults across the UK by market researchers RSGB Omnibus earlier this month, asked who, in order of importance, should take responsibility for improving children's diets.

Almost nine out of 10 of those questioned thought the main responsibility for tackling the problem lay with parents.

Schools were seen as having the second biggest role, followed by food manufacturers in third place and broadcasters fourth.

Despite the results, 85% of those polled thought there should be greater control over the way fast foods are promoted to children and 82% thought celebrity endorsements of ucts had a "considerable influence" on children's choice of food.

A further 56% thought sweets and chocolates should be removed from supermarket checkouts.

Sir John Krebs, chairman of the FSA, said: "The rising level of obesity in children is worrying.

"Doing nothing is not an option but reversing the trend is a huge task and one in which we all have a role to play.

"The British public recognise the role that parents must play in improving the diets and health of their children.

"But it is also clear from our poll that they can't do it on their own. They need support from schools, industry, broadcasters and ernment if they are to make a difference."

* Balance in diet is the key>>>>

Balance in diet is the key>

THERE is no such thing as bad food - only a bad diet, according to health experts.

Caroline Jones, a nutrition expert who helped Wirral shape an obesity strategy, says children can eat foods high in fat, sugar and salt but only as part of a balanced diet.

She said: "All foods are okay to have now and then. The trouble is when kids snack on high fat products and then come home and have say chips, beans and burgers followed by a bar of chocolate.

"It all about balance. It's okay to eat these foods but shouldn't be eating them every day as part of a staple diet."

Top dietician Ruth Watlin agrees.

She is head of dietetics at Alder Hey children's hospital and responsible for preparing the diets of patients with specific requirements.

"It's widely accepted that there are rising levels of obesity and probably one of the biggest factors of this is lack of exercise," she said.

"We're financially rich and time poor, so there's a lot more convenience foods and we probably eat more snack foods as well, which tend to be slightly higher in fat, so that's going to increase the calorie intake. This combined with lack of exercise contributes to obesity."

Parents are advised to give their children a good break-fast to start the day off - preferably a whole grain cereal to prevent them from snacking as the day goes on.

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables should be included in their daily diet as well as limiting the amount of salty, sugary and fatty foods they consume.

Mrs Watlin added: "We're probably not going to be able to stop children from having chips and convenience foods all the time.

"But if they're having that kind of meal at lunch, make sure pasta, rice or jacket potatoes are in their evening meal.

"Five lots of fruit and vegetables a day which are filling and nutritious. Substitute chocolate for a piece of fruit.

"Work to encourage fruit in schools is really gathering pace now. Get children into the habit early on."